A CHECKED LOVE AFFAIR.

New Zealand Mail, 27 August 1902, Page 7

A CHECKED LOVE AFFAIR.

(By Paul Leicester Ford.)

[This was the last piece of literary work that came from the pen of the author of “Janice Meredith.” The manuscript was completed only a few weeks before Mr Ford’s untimely death.]

There are plenty of people who maintain that of the tales told of Mrs Baxter one-lialf aren’t true, and the other half never happened. It is to be acknowledged that many of the occurrences connected by public belief or hearsay with that well-intentioned lady bear strong evidence of what may be best termed “embroidery,” and more than once have I watched a mere shred of a yarn slowly evolved into a story, which bore as slight a resemblance to its original as the chicken does to the egg, and which I should never Have connected one with the other, had I not seen the intermediate stages of growth. Yet this very metaphor tells my own view, and when, now and again, I hear some one deny the actuality of anything mothered upon her, I am always tempted to start hunting for the original, before it had been hatched into a clucking hen, or beaten into an omelette souffle.

In making this statement it is to be confessed that my personal experience is largely responsible for niy faith in there being a basis for the mythology that clusters about Mrs Baxter’s name. It has come back to me more than once that she takes pride in asserting that a certain very happy marriage was due solely to her diplomacy, and: merely because the persons most concerned have not seen fit to deny her claim, it is now generally believed by the naturally gullible of New York, which is not very far from saying that it is universally accepted. If no more than that were said, I should be quite content to allow her boast, but now I am constantly bearing such absurd variants and elaborations of her simple statement that it seems necessary in self-defence to file both a demurrer and a bill of exceptions, not with any hope that they will put an end to the fables, for the fib is the cat of human speeoli, but in order that the case for the plaintiff shall at least be on record for him who likes to read.

It may be said to have begun when, having graduated successfully from Yale, I made my start in life in a big down town bank, filled with the laudable ambitions of showing Wall street what a

valuable thing a University education is to a business man, and of becoming president of the institution within five years. At the end of that time I, had forgotten all I ever learned at college, and was second assistant paying teller, with a salary of thirteen hundred a year.

That my advancement had not been quite so rapid as I hoped was in a measure due to the fact that in chose years my social progress had been great, and it is to he confessed that I took ta1 ’ ?. 10re ™t.erest in the figures of a cotillion, than I did in those of a ledger it, However my daily toil from nine to tour had not particularly attracted the attention of the oresident. of the institution, my nightly frivolling from nine to four had served to interest the president’s daughter, and one day, after business hours, walking more on air than matter, I went to my superior’s little office in the bank building, told lnm what I had to tell, and asked his consent, for the moment the happiest and the proudest man living; for Freda vas one girl in a million, there was heaps of -money, and I never doubted that now my promotion would be as rapid as hitherto it had been slow.

When I came out, I had ten pounds of lead in eacli boot, and a conviction that parents were but a necessary evil of nature, and a low-minded, sordid lot, who took particular delight in torturing their children. As a fact, Freda’s papa had been very decent, for he’d told me that he should never cross his daughter’s inclination m such a matter, but also that lie could not consent to more than an engagement until I was in a position to properly support her; adding that he was very sorry that the cashier’s reports had not been more favourable, because henceforth particular care would have to he exercised not to advance me too rapidly, lest my fellow clerks should suspect favouritism.

Well, we settled down to that low torture, a long engagement, which ought to have been included in the Prayer Book along with the, “from plague, pestilence, and famine, from battle and murder, and from sudden death” in the Litany. It wasn’t so bad at first, for we had our billing and cooing to live on, and dinners were given in our honour, and every one made a flutter over rus. But by the end of a year all that was over; we weren’t invited anywhere, or, if we were, Freda was rarely asked to dance, and 1 was never asked to lead, and no one cared to talk to either of us, so we might as well have stayed at home for all variety or fun it meant. The old filing runs that “Marriage halves our troubles and doubles our joys,” hut a betrothal is quite another story, and is not the delicious solitude a deux of courtship and marriage, hat what might be called a “solitary two in society.” It was more tlian human, or at least man’s nature could stand, and after some preliminary mutterings, I at last had a blow-out with Mr Fearing, which was sufficiently foolish in all conscience sake, but, as if that wasn’t bad enough, I must go straight from this interview to Freda, and begin abusing her father.. Whatever she might think, she was a trump, and stood up for her paternal, telling mo that I ought not to speak so of any man when I was in his house. Like a donkey I thereupon announced that that was easily remedied by my leaving. Then she said that my love for her ought to prevent my saying sueli things anywhere. I retorted that what she said showed only too plainly that she cared more for her father than she did for me, and I'd always suspected it. Freda flared up, as any girl of spirit would, and before either of us realised how it came about,' she was sobbing on a sofa, and I was hurrying down the front steps, with woman’s faithlessness, and prussic acid, and other closely related factors flashing through my brain.

After a night’s sleeplessness, X was ashamed enough, and was trying to tell Freda so in a letter, when a little package, containing the engagement ring and a note, arrived from her. The latter was the regular stereotyped form: “Best for both that such an explanation has taken place.” “Need not return, but only bum my letters, as I will .yours.” “Trusts that what has taken place will not make a friendship impossible,” and “I will ever wish for your success.” Its very lack of feeling should have told me that she had the brakes on at full'tension, but 1 on!/ took it as a further proof that 1 had become nothing to her, and so the sixth attempt at a letter went into the fir® after the five previous ones. Even then it might have been patched up, for we were both as near to breaking our hearts as those extremely indiarubbery muscles and valves can come to be, had it not been for relatives and friends. My sister, thinking I’d been very hardly treated, and wishing to carry it off bravely, told a friend that she was really very glad of the outoome, because she had always thought that her brother was selling liimself. The friend repeated this to some one, Who in turn quoted it, as having been said by Mr., instead of Miss, Travis, and then it was carried hack to Freda that Jim Travis had declared that he’d only oared for her money anyway, and was glad, to be quit of it all. So she started

off to Europe with her father, and I went back to xny ledger. Ono very small sop to me was that the president, just before lie sailed, called mo in and said he was very much pleased to have bettor reports of me lately, and that the engagement being now ended, ho thought no ono could question his promoting mo to bo assistant teller. Hut I was too miserable anil sore over her going away to take this as any kindness, and hardly muttered a ‘‘Thank you.” Iu a year they camo back from abroad, and Freda took up society again, but I’d cut all that and now took no interest in anything but my work, so wo never met; and when her father one day asked me to come in to a family dinner, I was idiot enough to refuse, with a cool satisfaction for which 1 ought to have been kicked. Of course, Air Fearing wasn’t going to tell me, without some sign that I still cared for Freda, that she was miserable, and that perhaps he'd been a bit hard and rough on mo at the blow-out, as lie meant to, before I met his advance that way; and so that chance was lost. Hero it was that Mrs Baxter took tho matter in hand. Without letting either Freda or me know that she was asking the other, she invited us botli to visit, her at her place up the Hudson during the same week, anil what is more, she didn’t, bid another guest for the whole time.

It was a kill-or-cure remedy, anil at first blush it seemed the former. We met aT the 'station as we went to take the train, but each pretended net to see the other, and though I don't use tobacco. I took to the smoker to make sure of not- encountering her again: You can judge then wiiat our respective emotions were, when, on arriving at the destination, we each saw the other stop down on the platform, anf of what those feelings became when Mrs Baxter's flunkey grabbed our small impedimenta from us. led ns to a trap, and then asked for our trunk cheeks.

If either of us had been warned, peace would probably Tiavo been made in no drive to the house, for it was a stationcart. than which nothing but a brougham is better, as to what one says, and has tho advantage not possessed by that one vehicle, of letting one look straight into the eyes of the person one is with, which is likely to melt any frost which may exist, if people really lore each other- But having cm each other at tho station. Freda was embarrassed, anil 1 didn't know wiiat to do. and we both were furious at the awkwardness of the position we were placed in. Had -Mrs B. not been Airs 8.. she would have met tis at tho station, and then there would have been nothing else for us to do but apeak. Site, however, reasoned that wo j only needed a meeting and a few min- ! utcs alone together to fix it ail up. and : arranged it all according to that notion. ; In consequence, we only bowed fdVm- j ally. and. taking opposite ends of the , carriage, sat in absolute silence during | the whole of the drive. Having begun her s-raiagem so suc-ce-stilly. Airs Baxter carried out the whole camtxv’gn upon the >amo lines, dinner that evening everything she said j was designed to make us talk to each other, and not to her. and while we be- \ Laved very well, any one else would j have seen that practically wo never even I locked at each other, address onr re- • marks as we might, and the frost in tho atmosphere made the icing e> the champagne quite superfluous. Tho dinner eaten, with that tact which has made her famous, the hostess proceeded to "planter' us two unfortu- ! nates in the library, and them, giving * the thinnest and most palpable- excuses j for departing, there she left us. As I've already said. Freda was a girl! with as much grit as beauty, and when - I was only meanly wi-hing that I had j the sand to go eft" to the billiard-room. j site took the bull by the horns. ’•Airs Baxter is proverbial." she c-x- 1 claimed, "for her poor memory and end- ’ h><s mistakes, and so. of course, she hag j no idea of what- a trying position she i has put us in. Aiy suggestion is that ! we make tho best of it by each taking | a book and reading until we hear her coming back, when, as we don't want to pain her. wo can slip them out of flight and seem to be talking.” "That is much the best tiling,” 1 assented. So wo each sat down to a book. Freda read hers with exemvhtry attention, never letting her eyes leave its pages, . but my book wasn't particularly interesting. or else something else was more so, for 1 kept- stealing glances eve' tho top of it. Tho truth is. Freda was lovelier even than she used to be. or at least was looking so that evening. She was charmingly gowned, and. quite unconsciously of course, she had taken a seat where the red light of a lamp and the flicker of the firelight mot, setting her in a most becoming radiance. I'm afraid if my cogitations had been articulated. the variety of my swear words won??! have outlawed use from all society superior to the longshoremen's union, ami my honestly thought opinion of .myself that evening was lntmble enough to fit the meanest man that crawls this earth. At the end of an hour or >o. with a preliminary anil very artificial cough, which allowed us *o got our bocks out of sight, back trotted Mrs Baxter, fairly beaming with joy at the happy time she believed she had conferred upon ns: ami. after a little general talk, we separated for the night. I sat up just In -g enough to write a line to my sister, beg ting

her to telegraph for my instant, return to the city: anil as proof that there is such a thing as thought telepathy, Freda wrote to her father in almost- identical strains; and both of us impressed upon the servant- who answered the bell the great importance of each of those ; letters catching the earl'est mail. This done, I went- to bed, something ■ quite different- from going to sleep, as : I quickly found, and after a. lot of miser- j able tossing and fretting, I rose, re- ; lighted my light, and gob out from my trunk a bundle of letters and other things—a lock of hair, the ring, a couple of dried flowers, a ribbon or two, anil , that sort of truck, winch means such an awful lot to a man. if it means any- ! thing: and there I sat till the Lord knows when, reading over every word Freda ever said to me on paper. I know, of course, that a gentleman I ought to have done as she wrote me. and burned them, and all I can say is. I hope, if any man is ever in the same position, lie'll do what I didn't.

Freda breakfasted in her room the next morning, which simplified the meal, and I went off for a big walk that kept me clear of tiie house till ten minutes before luncheon. I found tne expected telegram awaiting me. and, with a properly regretful expression on my phiz. I hunted up my hostess, and. handing her the telegram as an evidence of good faith, I told her I was peremptorily called back to the city and would like to take the first possible train.

"Was there ever worse luck?” exclaimed Airs B. "Hero Aliss Fearing has been telegraphed for also, ana ve just arranged to send her by the three-thirty-five. Alust you really go?” This pretty nearly bowled me over, but I got my breath back, and, being deep in. I stuck it- through. 1 proposed to take an earlier train than that Freda was. going on. but that hope was nipped by finding that there wasn't one. "And if you must desert me so, it couldn't come better, for now you can look out for Aliss Fearing,” reasons Airs Baxter.

There was no good trying to slip act of it. and resignedly we ate our luncheon. and then I escaped upstairs by tho plea that I must pack my trunk, which I actually had packed that morning before breakfast, and this gave me such a lot to do that I didn’t come down till the station waggon was waiting. Airs Baxter, by some quirk of mind, went with us to the railway, winch made the trip an easier one: though she would keep on protesting over her disappointment, and so compelling each of us to do an amount cf regretting and that sort of lying which is dreadful to think about. Of course, she said we must come to her later, and we were both ready enough to promise that. When we were at the station and were awaiting the train, she nearly floored both of us by saying, just after the footman came up anil gave her the trunk checks, and before she handed them over to us:

"Now, really, must yon go off like this? I can't help feeling that you’ve only made those telegrams an excuse for going. Let me have the trunks put back on the coach and stay on for the week?”

That knocked mo out so • that I dropped my ticket- on the platform and had the douce of a time to pick it up. which was a mean sneak, because it left Freda to do all the stuttering and in-

venting. You'd better believe we were thankful when we were safely settled in the train.

It- was only an hour to the city, and Freda put- her small luggage and wrap on the seat by her, anil read a novel the whole way, so all I had to do was to carry her bag to the carriage and maid that- met her, anil then end the whole contretemps with a lifting of my hat. I would have given every cent I had about me for a touch cf the little hand, gloved though it was, anil my whole year's salary, which, had mounted to twenty-two hundred, for a touch of the lips that once—well, that- part doesn't concern Airs Baxter. I went to my club and sat off by my. self for the rest- of the afternoon, hating humanity more than Carlyle ever did, and' hating myself still worse. Then, after making a pretence of eating some dinner. I stole off to my bachelor quarters for a good sulk. I liad'nt been at this very long when my trunk came, and as I wanted to look up a particular expression in one of Freda’s letters, about her "love being deathless and unending.” which had cheered me a bitthe night- before. I undid the strap, got out iny key. anil was about to unlock it. when, to my astonishment, I found that the hasp was sprung out. . Aluttering something at iny carelessness in not. having Locked it. I lifted the top. What I saw was still further of a shock, for there was a towel, that- JHwas sure I’d never put there, laid over the tray and neatly tucked in around -the edges. Tearing it off. I found a whole exhibit of the daintiest bits of woman finery and—and —white things. Aiy first theory was that the express company had left the wrong trunk, and I was properly disgusted, and it was nofc tlll I looked at- the end and saw the initials "F.F.” that it suddenly came to me that Airs Baxter—God bless her divine faculty!—had mixed the checks when she had handed them over. Aiy next- thought v.as a pleased one, for it was a real joy to have even a trunk of Freda's In my rooms, and I knelt down and touched my lips two or three times to what lay on the surface. Then, too. it would enable me to do Freda a small service, by sending it to her as quickly as could be: and so. tucking in the towel to the best cf my abilities, and closing the lid. 1 ordered a cab. While I waited tor it. I pondered whether good manners did not require rue to write a letter of explanation to go with it, and, granting it did. whether I couldn't at tho same time tell her wiiat. I thoughtof nivself and her.

I didn’t prtzzle over this long, for suddenly it came to me that if 1 had

Freda’s trunk -lie must have mine, and I grew cold and then, hot as I recalled the circumstance that I had placed that precious bundle of- letters and souvenirs, which she had told me to destroy, on the very top cf my packing. minutes later I stood in the Tearing s' drawing-room, feeling for all the world as if I were going to my execution. Much too soon, so far as my courage was concerned. I heard a rustling on the stairs and Freda' came through the doorway-. “I've taken the liberty—l've come. Aliss Fearing. ■’ I began, “about these letters, and to ask your pardon for—” She grew as red as I was. “Then you —you went through my trunk?" she broke in scornfully. “I'd never have believed it of you.”

“What- do you mean?” I demanded bewilderedly. “How could you know I’d kept your Letters if you haven’t pried through mj clothes and found them in my sachet case, hidden at- the very bottom of ny trunk 2" she cried.

“Oh, Freda,” I exclaimed, “do you mean that you’ve kept my letters?” ” “What letters do you mean?” she asked, with astonishment.

"Why. yours to me, which you must have found on the top of my trunk.”

"But my key wcriklirt- open it, an J then we discovered your initials, and so it was sent to you a few minutes ago.” “Aiy darling!"’ was all I said, holdi-ig out my arms: and she didn’t say anything, but- came right into them. * • « a «

And that- is why Freda and I have never denied Airs Baxter’s claim to hav. ing reconciled us: for if she didn’t, i ain sure I don’t know who did.—" Collier's Weekly.”